


Bad Luck, Baby

by smiley_seulgi



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 16:59:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16201781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smiley_seulgi/pseuds/smiley_seulgi
Summary: Jiwoo's having a crummy week.Sooyoung can fix that.





	Bad Luck, Baby

  
  


It had been more than a rough morning for Jiwoo by the time she finally reached the main campus of Blockberry University. She’d driven a heart-dropping eighty miles per hour ( _ yes _ , she’s  _ that  _ grandma driver who usually goes sixty-five in a fifty-five, and  _ no,  _ she’s not ashamed to admit it), the entire fifteen minute commute from her apartment to the main streets of the university. 

For starters, the poor college student had been forced to circle the parking garages nearby for nearly ten minutes, scouring the lot for an open spot. She’d woken up late and hadn’t been able to leave the house in time to secure her usual spot. She was forced to scrounge instead, hunting in between the lanes of parked cars for even a glimpse of an empty spot. 

Then, after she managed to parallel park somewhat decently (she prayed she won’t get another parking ticket as she took the keys out of the ignition), Jiwoo readied herself to begin the two mile trek to her class. She stepped out of her car and moved to open the door to the backseat for her backpack only to realize she’d left her laptop and lunch at her apartment.

“Oh my god!” Jiwoo yelped in annoyance, running a hand through her hair. She slipped on the backpack and began to sulk in spite of herself. It looked like she’d just have to stick to sneaking photos of the professor’s slides with her phone and jotting down whatever she could in a spare notebook. Typically, she could get everything said by the professor and all the information on their PowerPoint slides in an instant.

This is what I get for relying on technology, Jiwoo scolds herself, Thanks a lot, Steve Jobs, you bastard. After calming herself down a little bit, she hastily locked her car and promptly made a beeline towards the stairwell leading up to the street. She passed by several slow walkers on her way up, hardly noticing the odd looks they were shooting her. 

Jiwoo was a part of  _ Mission: Impossible Get to Class on Time _ and she didn’t care what anyone else thought about her and her still-damp hair from her shower or the fact that her T-shirt may or may not be currently inside out.  _ Nothing _ was going to stop her from fulfilling her mission, not even her pride. 

On the third flight of stairs she went up, Jiwoo tripped and nearly toppled backwards. No doubt she would’ve effectively, accidentally, and tragically, have killed herself on the harsh concrete. For a moment, she froze there on the stairwell, knuckles white and wrapped around the handrail, mind empty of anything but shock.

No one had been around to see it, but Jiwoo’s cheeks still set aflame from embarrassment. She scampered away from the scene while maintaining a death grip on the handrail, determined to leave the parking garage with her life. Who even tripped up a flight of stairs? She thought grumpily to herself, What kind of fuckery was the universe throwing her this morning?

As she joined the straggle of students making their way up to campus past the football stadium, Jiwoo tried to make light of the day for her own sake. While power-walking towards campus, Jiwoo began making a mental list of things to boost her drooping mood. If there’s one thing Jiwoo hated, it was feeling down. Often, making these lists helped her stay somewhat peppy and upbeat when things weren’t going her way.

First on her list was that she was supposed to meet her two best friends, Chaewon and Hyejoo, for coffee after her second class that day. The three of them hadn’t been able to find the time to get together since the semester started a month or so ago, and had vowed to clear up their schedules to catch up again. She was anticipating seeing them again, as she knew the two of them had much to tell her.

Jiwoo wasn’t one to be snooping in other people’s business but she did accidentally catch the two girls sneaking a goodnight kiss at a sleepover in Yeojin’s dorm before the semester went into full swing. Not wanting to infringe on the couple before they were ready to tell her, Jiwoo had been biding her time in silence . She had a feeling that they needed to get the secret off of their chest and couldn’t wait to see the look on their faces when she told them she’d known all along they’d been dating.

Smiling a little at the thought, Jiwoo looked over her shoulder before crossing the street. She followed the somewhat steep pathway that lead up to the heart of Blockberry University and glanced up at the towering structures around her. The further she went along the path, the harder it became for her to maintain her indifferent look as she struggled up with the rest of the students.

On a completely different mental list, she promised herself that she’d start heading to the gym more often. She didn’t want to keep wheezing over a walk up a slight incline like this. After a few more feet, the incline leveled out and Jiwoo found herself in the middle of the walking rush hour between classes. 

Students of all shapes and sizes crowded around her, striding with a purpose in each direction. Jiwoo headed up the cobbled pathway, towards where the Humanities building waited for her.

But back to the happy thoughts list, Jiwoo reminded herself. After the coffee date was over, she had the day off of work and planned to spend the rest of her free time holed up in her apartment with her roommates. 

Together with Heejin and Hyunjin, she planned to set up a home movie theater in the living room and spend the whole night mindlessly watching chick-flicks while gorging on bowls of buttered popcorn. Just thinking about a night without obligations was making her look more and more forward to going home that evening.

The college girl eventually became so immersed in her thoughts that she didn’t even see the man standing idly in front of her until she’d already knocked him over. “Oops!” Jiwoo cried out, practically ripping her earbuds out. “I’m sorry!” The man was stooped down on the ground, fumbling for whatever he’d dropped. That’s weird, Jiwoo thought, catching sight of the giant sign that lay face down on the cobblestone.

Did I just ruin his presentation or something? She thought to herself, frowning down at the posterboard. There  _ is  _ a pretty extensive business college here. Is that why he’s carrying that thing around?  _ Shit _ . “Are you alright?” Jiwoo tried again, timidly reaching a hand out towards the man’s shoulder. “Ma’am, I’m fine. However, are you aware that we’re under attack?” He said in a high pitched, nasally voice. It was a voice that would instantly rub you the wrong way, like the prick of a thorn on a bed of unassuming flowers.

He blatantly disregarded her concern for him and seemed much more preoccupied with dusting off his jeans than even looking in her general direction. It seemed he was used to eating asphalt. He had the face for it, Jiwoo thought to herself. After picking himself up off the pavement, the man stooped down to collect his sign. 

As soon as he flipped it over, Jiwoo’s heart sank down to the pit of her stomach. He looked expectantly at her while she inspected it. The sign was a scuffed up off-white poster board with the words ‘Homosexuals Rot In Hell’ stamped in big, bold, black lettering across it. There were chunks of it missing in some parts, and a few muddy footprints spaced out - as if someone had tossed the sign down and stomped all over it.

Had Jiwoo not been so flustered, she probably would’ve thrown a well-thought out, witty response to the picketer’s question. She had to admit, her guilt for knocking him over had ebbed away the moment she found out he was one of those homophobic protesters. Yet the college girl was too caught off guard by his blatant hatred and the string of bad luck that seemed to be following her every move to even form a word.

The picketer, a middle aged man with thinning black hair and a scrappy beard, stepped closer to her. He gave her wicked smile, revealing smoke stained, yellowing teeth. He seemed rotten from the inside and out. “If we don’t persecute these individuals,” he gestured towards his sign with a look of contempt, a dirty fingernail jabbing at the word ‘homosexuals’, “then we’ll never attain salvation. They’ll continue to taint our world with their sins.”

Jiwoo was paralyzed with fear, large eyes darting from face to face within the crowd of students passing by, searching for a sympathetic expression. Much to her dismay, no one even glanced their way. Everyone was probably too preoccupied with getting to class, she thought. Which only reminded her that she should be heading towards the Humanities building if she ever wanted to make it to class on time.

Her knuckles tightened on her backpack straps, and she felt her heart speeding up faster and faster as the man continued to close the distance between them and speak to her. His voice was louder now, but there was a roaring in Jiwoo’s ears that drowned him out. Something that sounded like anger and frustration and a desperate urge to get away.

She wanted no part of his homophobic campaign, but wasn’t sure how to free herself from the situation. All around her and the man flowed the steady stream of the student body, a wall of people closed in on them. Jiwoo took an unsteady step back and was promptly stomped on by an unknowing young man, further cementing the fact that she was trapped.

Though the man had continued yelling, Jiwoo had long tuned him out, instead looking out towards the campus for any way out of this mess she’d gotten herself tangled up in.

“Hey! There you are!”

A hand comes to rest on her shoulder out of nowhere, squeezing ever so slightly. The touch effectively rips Jiwoo’s attention from the shouting man, and she finds herself leaning into it in an attempt to shy away from him. A pair of dazzling brown eyes appraise her, flickering over her face before turning up into shy half crescents.

“I’ve been looking over for you everywhere but you weren’t answering your phone, silly,” the stranger continues, her thumb stroking comfortingly at Jiwoo’s shirt sleeve. 

The girl is a few inches taller than Jiwoo is, forcing her to tilt her head up to meet her gaze. She has her backpack slung across one slender shoulder, and is dressed far more fashionably than Jiwoo is, bright and early on this gloomy Monday morning.

“Did you forget we were supposed to meet up before your next class? I’ve been dying to try that new coffee place that just opened up in the library,” the girl continues, acting as if they’re best friends rather than complete strangers. Finally, the man takes notice of the two of them and ceases his shouting. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Jiwoo can see him giving them an odd look, gauging the situation. “Homosexuals face eternal damnation!” The man pipes up again, bellowing in their faces.

At this, the stranger’s blissful expression contorts into one of utter disgust, and she turns to the man with a frown that would send even the bravest of men scampering off in the opposite direction. 

“Excuse me, I was talking to my girlfriend before you rudely interrupted us,” she said, her voice low and eerily calm despite the fire burning in her eyes. “Girlfriend?” Jiwoo murmured softly, blushing. “Girlfriend!” The man yelled, jumping up from his post on the walkway. It looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

“You...you’re a lesbian?!”

“You’re damn right I am, and I thank God for it!” The girl exclaimed, cutting the man off. Her sharp tone caused him to gulp and take a step back, and even Jiwoo was taken a bit aback by the girl’s outburst. “Who’d want to be with the likes of you, anyways? With you showing up to college campuses to cause a ruckus while everyone’s trying to get their education and whatnot,” The girl said, chuckling as the man’s face reddened in embarrassment.

Jiwoo couldn’t help but stifle a snicker, and the girl smiled affectionately at her. “Let’s go get that coffee, sweetie,” she said, tugging Jiwoo away from the gaping man. As soon as the two college girls had melded safely with the rest of the crowd, Jiwoo relaxed. “That was incredible,” Jiwoo sputtered, glancing back at where the picketer was standing with a wide grin. “Holy shit, thank you so much for getting me out of there.”

The girl shrugged nonchalantly, a cheeky smile plastered across her face. “Anytime. It looked like you could use a hand and I’ve perfected the art of acting confident in situations that kind of scare me shitless, so I thought I’d step in,” the other girl said, finally letting go of Jiwoo’s arm. They stopped in front of the Humanities building, and for a moment Jiwoo thought that the other girl had telepathic abilities.

“I really do have class in ten so I’ve got to get going,” the girl says apologetically, rubbing the back of her neck. “Oh, me too. Looks like we’re in the same building,” Jiwoo says, laughing nervously. “It was nice to meet you…?” She trails off, looking at the taller girl. “Oh, right! My name’s Ha Sooyoung,” the girl says, flashing her a dimpled smile.

Jiwoo beams back at her. “Thank you for saving me from that nasty guy, Sooyoung. I’m Kim Jiwoo, by the way.”

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Jiwoo. Try and stay away from those crazy picketers next time.” She giggles when Jiwoo blushes. “Maybe I’ll see you around or something.” Sooyoung gives Jiwoo a smile and is just about to turn away when Jiwoo’s courage finally kicks in. She walks up to the front doors of the building with Sooyoung.

“Wait, could I get your number, maybe? To thank you from saving me from that awful dude?” Jiwoo asks timidly as they step in. They’re standing in the foyer of the building, a burst of other students walking around them.

Sooyoung smiles and holds the next door open for her. “Sure thing, cutie.”

Maybe Jiwoo’s luck hadn’t run out after all.

 

**

Jiwoo makes it into her history class with five minutes to spare, a very, very pretty girl’s number stored in her phone, and a promise to go out for coffee later that weekend. Confident that the rest of the day would be smooth sailing, she plops down in her usual seat near the front of the room and slings her backpack off.

“Did you study?” Jinsoul whispers from the seat beside her, pouring over a thick packet of papers. “Hm?” Jiwoo asks, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She unzipped her backpack and took out a pen and a rather beat up notebook, readying herself for lecture.

“For our exam?” Jinsoul clarifies, waving around the packet of papers in her hands to get the point across. She brushes a lock of her blonde hair off of her shoulder and frowns at her handwritten scrawl. “I tried to memorize everything last night but nothing’s sticking. It’s safe to say I’m royally screwed,” the older girl sighed.

At this, Jiwoo leans back in her seat, eyes raised towards the ceiling. “I think god has actually cursed me today,” she mutters, rubbing furiously at her temples. Of course there was an exam today. One she’d completely forgotten to study for. “Wait a second, you forgot?” Jinsoul gasps, surprised at the younger girl. “Good luck to us both for a D+,” she says, playfully smacking Jiwoo on the shoulder. “I heard a rumor that this is one of the hardest tests our professor gives.”

“Well, at least I got Sooyoung’s number,” Jiwoo mumbles to herself, solemnly watching their professor handing out the exam. “It can’t get any worse, right?” Jinsoul snickers quietly at her friend’s remark. Jiwoo ignores her and adds Sooyoung’s to her mental list of happy things, then puffs out a sigh when her professor reaches her. She squeezes her eyes shut in a silent prayer before writing her name on top of her answer sheet.

Tomorrow will be better, she promised herself, gazing blankly at the exam packet, trying once again to lift her mood. After all, her random string of bad luck had finally ended with something good. For a very pretty girl’s number and a date set for the weekend, Jiwoo knows she’d go through all of the morning’s events all over again if she had to. Even if it meant she was going to fail this exam.

She squinted at the first question and bubbled in the answer, a very,  _ very,  _ educated guess. Looks like she wasn’t the only one with tea to spill when she met with Chaewon and Hyejoo for coffee. Jiwoo smiled for a split second, then returned back to bullshitting her exam. 

_ Worth it. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
